1. To develop a national board-certified legal specialization accreditation program

2. To provide a professional development CLE in complex litigation in collaboration with the Louisiana State Bar Association, as part of the upcoming NBTA All-Star Conference on November 7-9, 2018 in New Orleans

3. To advocate and promote excellence in the field of complex litigation

For the Public

What is Specialization?

Similar to the medical profession in which the body of knowledge is so large that it's impossible for one doctor to remain current in all specialty areas, the body of law has grown so large and complex that attorneys can no longer be all things to all people.

Enter the idea of legal specialization. Unlike the medical profession, which has embraced specialization and specialty certification, the legal arena has been slow to acknowledge publicly what it has known for years: nearly all lawyers specialize but do so without substantiation beyond “reputation” or simply saying it is so.

Certificate holders undergo a thorough screening of their credentials, including:

Documentation of their experience

Judicial and peer references

An exam

Additionally, they must report all disciplinary matters brought before any official body, whether public or private, for scrutiny by the NBTA Standards Committee.

Why Should it Matter to Consumers?

In the medical profession, many hospitals forbid doctors to practice without proof of board certification in their specialty. Administrators realize the value of independent screening of credentials and experience.

Consumers are, therefore, afforded added confidence that the doctors treating their conditions are well and truly qualified. And because of its widespread acceptance, most people who seek medical assistance are unlikely to hire noncertified physicians.

Before NBTA’s founding in 1977, no such mechanism existed for lawyers. The problem was (and remains) that lawyers admitted to their state bar were—and still are—free to accept cases in any area of the law.

When you decide to work with an NBTA board-certified attorney, it means you’ve chosen an attorney who has dedicated his/her professional career to their select field of choice. Board-certified attorneys have endured a rigorous application process and passed a highly comprehensive examination about their particular specialty.

With less than 4% of all practicing lawyers certified by an ABA-accredited or state-sponsored certification board, board certification is not only highly important to the profession of law, but also paramount to consumers. This small, but highly esteemed, group of lawyers provides the knowledge and a confidence consumers should expect and require in an attorney.

Additionally, they must report all disciplinary matters brought before any official body, whether public or private, for scrutiny by the NBTA Standards Committee.